Province of Canada

On 8 June, the community of Mont Champagnat welcomed families, friends and colleagues to a eucharistic celebration in honour of eleven Marist Brothers and a Marist Father, the chaplain of Château-Richer. The ceremony underlined some noteworthy jubilees of religious life:

Br Laurent Potvin, 75 years
Br Fernand Rheault, 70 years
Br Wilfrid Breton, 70 years
Br Armand Laflamme, 70 years
Br Bertrand Beauregard, 60 years
Br Jean-Paul Fortin, 60 years
Br Léonard Ouellet, 60 years
Br Gaétan Fecteau, 60 years
Br Gérard Lamontagne, 60 years
Br Léopold Truchon, 60 years
Br Jean-Paul Salvas, 60 years
Fr Raymond- Marie Moreau, 60 years

At the beginning of the 1940s, Charles Trenet composed a nostalgic song entitled: « What remains?» He was thus looking back at his past : « What remains … of those beautiful days. A photo, an old photo, of my youth. » In fact, what remains of those « beautiful days » of our jubilarians? There remains much more than a memory, than an old photo. There remains a testimony of fidelity, constancy and perseverance. Those values which depend on their commitment made to follow the poor, chaste and obedient Christ for 60, 70 and 75 years. There remain also those, young and less young, whose Christian and professional lives continue to bear fruit in keeping with the Gospel thanks to the contact with one or the other of our jubilarians.

What remains of all this time if not this desire to continue on the route of following Christ in the manner of Mary. On those photos of the 1930s, 40s and 50s the faces show fewer wrinkles, the physical energy and sharpness of memory cannot be compared. But the youthfulness of heart remains the same. So there remains much more than the memory of times past. These photos invite us to thanksgiving for all the time which separates those  photos of yesterday to the celebration of today.

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Gabriel Bolduc, fms